As of 14 October 2025, Microsoft no longer issues free security updates for Windows 10. The operating system still boots, still runs your applications, still looks exactly the same – and that's precisely what makes this deadline dangerous. Nothing visibly breaks on the day support ends. What changes is that every vulnerability discovered in Windows 10 from now on stays open, permanently, on any machine still running it.
Why "it still works" is the wrong test
We've been here before with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2012: the risk was never that the software would stop running, it's that unsupported systems quietly become the easiest way into a network. Attackers specifically target known end-of-life platforms because they know the holes found after the cut-off date will never be patched. A machine that "still works fine" is not the same as a machine that's still safe to have on your network.
Why this matters more for a business than a home user
- Cyber insurance and compliance. Running unsupported operating systems can invalidate a cyber insurance claim outright, and it's an automatic fail for Cyber Essentials certification. If you handle client data, it sits awkwardly with UK GDPR's requirement for "appropriate technical measures" too.
- One machine is enough. A single forgotten Windows 10 laptop with network access can undermine everything else you've invested in security elsewhere.
- Software support dries up over time. Browsers, accounting packages and line-of-business applications are progressively dropping Windows 10, so the breakage accumulates the longer you stay on it.
Your three realistic options
1. Upgrade to Windows 11, free, where the hardware allows it. If your PCs meet Windows 11's requirements – broadly, Intel 8th-gen/AMD Ryzen 2000 or newer, with TPM 2.0 – the upgrade is free and usually straightforward. We audit your fleet, confirm which machines qualify, and schedule the upgrades out of hours.
2. Replace machines that can't upgrade. Hardware too old for Windows 11 is typically seven-plus years old and due for replacement on performance grounds regardless. We spread replacements over months where needed, prioritising the highest-risk machines first – see our hardware services.
3. Buy time with Extended Security Updates (ESU). Microsoft sells ESU for Windows 10 as a paid stopgap, with prices that increase each year by design, to push migration along. It's sensible for a handful of machines awaiting replacement, or a legacy application that genuinely still needs Windows 10 – a false economy as a long-term strategy.
What we wouldn't recommend
Doing nothing is still a decision, just the wrong one. And "we'll be careful" isn't a control: most compromises start with a phishing email or a malicious website, not carelessness you can simply avoid. If a machine genuinely has to stay on Windows 10 (driving old but essential equipment, say), the minimum safeguard is isolating it from your main network and the internet entirely – something we can help set up safely.
For the full breakdown – ESU pricing, hardware compatibility checks, and a step-by-step migration plan – see our Windows 10 resource guide. Or skip straight to a free audit: we'll inventory what's still running Windows 10 across your business, tell you which machines can upgrade for free, cost up replacement for the rest, and confirm whether ESU makes sense as a bridge. Call 01865 594100 or request a callback.